Apparatus for treating a wire or felt in a papermaking machine

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for treating an endless wire or felt in a paper making machine which includes C-shaped support frame mounted on tracks for movement of the frame into and out of encompassing relationship with a support roll around which the wire or felt is wrapped. Mounted transversely of the frame is a liquid applicator roll which dips into a transversely mounted liquid trough for application of liquid to the wire or felt. A press-nip roll, a press roll, and a spray tube are also mounted on the frame for wire or felt treatment. The support roll is also moveably mounted on tracks and compressed air cylinders operate to secure the frame with respect to the support roll.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR TREATING A WIRE 0R FELT IN A PAPERMAKING MACHINE 12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl D211 1/32 Field of Search 162/272 [5 6] References Cited OTHER REFERENCES Stephenson, Pulp and Paper Manufacture, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Vol. 3 (1953) pp. 203- 207.

Britt, Handbook of Pulp and Paper Technology, Reinhold Publishing Corp. (1964) pg. 383.

Primary Examiner-S. Leon Bashore Assistant Examiner Richard H. Tushin Anorney- Young & Thompson ABSTRACT: Apparatus for treating an endless wire or felt in a paper making machine which includes C-shaped support frame mounted on tracks for movement of the frame into and out of encompassing relationship with a support roll around which the wire or felt is wrapped. Mounted transversely of the frame is a liquid applicator roll which dips into a transversely mounted liquid trough for application of liquid to the wire or felt. A press-nip roll, a press roll, and a spray tube are also mounted on the frame for wire or felt treatment. The support roll is also moveably mounted on tracks and compressed air cylinders operate to secure the frame with respect to the support roll.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING A WIRE R FELT IN A PAPERMAKING MACHINE Stretching, drying and setting apparatus is used in the paper-felting industry for treatment of felts and wires of synthetic material. For example, wires of synthetic material must be fixed prior to being mounted in a paper machine, and this is carried out in this type of apparatus, with a combination of heat and stretch treatment. The wire may also be treated for fixing or impregnation by chemical means.

Such stretching, drying and fixing units for felts and wires for paper machines comprise at least two rolls, normally mounted at both ends and adapted to move toward and away from each other on tracks or the like, one or two drying boxes and possibly a roll unit including at least one roll for application of chemicals if it is desired to treat the felt or wire with chemicals. In conventional constructions of such apparatus there is a so-called stretch carriage wherein the one roll, the stretch roll, is mounted, the second roll acting as a power roll. The roll unit, including the roll for application of chemicals, is arranged at various locations according to available space.

I Each time chemical treatment is used, the apparatus must be stopped for removal or cleaning in situ of the roll unit. Cleaning is particularly necessary in present day technique where chemicals which set are widely used. The treatment frequently requires the use of several chemicals in sequence, and the cleaning must then be undertaken between each treatment. Demounting of the roll unit, or cleaning in situ, necessitates stopping the operation and the object of the present invention is to reduce the delay and thereby the loss of operation.

According to the invention this is achieved by providing a roll unit which is characterized in that it is in the form of an independent unit which may be moved to and from the web area, i.e. to and from the felt or wire, and is provided with securing means for attachment in operating position relative to the apparatus.

The cleaning operations is facilitated to a great degree by effecting the roll unit as an independent unit which may be moved to and from the web area. preferably as a mobile unit on tracks, unit may be connected to the stretch carriage or used on the power side. The unit may be completely removed from the apparatus for cleaning, and the apparatus may be used continuously during the period the roll unit is being cleaned. As stated in the preamble, felts and wires are frequently treated exclusively with heat and stretch effect, and the apparatus may be used for such treatment while the roll unit is being cleaned. In accordance with the invention, the support frame of the roll unit is substantially C-shaped so that the said frame may be positioned beneath and above one of the break rolls of the web in the apparatus, for example the stretch roll.

The roll unit may then be moved to and from the apparatus and connected thereto in a simple manner in operational posi- "On.

The support frame is suitably formed with an external width which is less than the internal width of the stretch carriage in the apparatus, and is provided with securing means for connection to the stretch bearing. The stretch carriage generally offers the best location available for disposal of the mobile roll unit, and an embodiment particularly intended for connection to the stretch carriage is therefore advantageous, particularly as the roll unit will then accompany the movements of the stretch bearing.

A suitable roll unit in accordance with the invention is characterized in that it comprises a roll which is adjustably mounted for cooperation with the lower part of the web and immersed in a container for chemicals (kissing roll), an adjustably mounted press roll for cooperation with the web on the break roll, and, optionally, an adjustable press-nip roll mounted between the said kissing roll and break roll; the axis of said press-nip roll being at the same height as the central, horizontal plane of the break roll.

A roll unit is thereby provided which is adapted to carry out the various treatments of felt or wire since the said roll types may be used in combination or individually.

When the roll unit includes a press-nip roll, it is advantageous also to arrange a spray tube for spraying of the treatment fluid into the press-nip.

A possibility of fluid penetration of the felt or wire in the area at the press-nip is thereby obtained.

In the area of rolls for application of chemicals it may be desirable to treat the felt or wire outwardly, i.e. in a direction toward the roll for application of chemicals, in order to achieve correct tensioning and contact of the web or wire against the roll for application of chemicals, and, according to the invention, the roll unit-may be provided with a roll which is releasably mounted in such a manner that it may be inserted into the web loop for treating the web outwardly in the area of the roll for application of chemicals.

The roll for chemical application is provided with a chain drive, the driven chain wheel being in gear wheel engagement with a gear wheel on the shaft journal of the roll.

The mounting and demounting of the roll for chemical application, which roll rotates in a trough of relatively little volume for receiving the chemicals used, is thereby facilitated. Troughs of little volume are used in order to prevent separation and settling of the chemicals in the trough.

In place of the so-called kissing roll, a clipping roll may be used which forces the lower part of the web into a trough. The roll unit must then include a guide roll for support of the web at the side of the trough. The mounting of the previously mentioned tensioning roll-may be effected in such a manner that this roll may be brought to act on the downwardly directed surface of the web.

At the conclusion of the chemical treatment it is frequently necessary to stretch the felt or wire. On such stretching, the web exerts great force on the'rolls and, in order to avoid the corresponding large dimension of the dipping roll and the bearings of the guide roll, the dipping roll and the bearing thereof are effected so that the dipping roll may be raised, that is to say moved into the web loop, so that the lower part of the web may be freely tensioned between the power roll and the stretch roll. The dipping roll in raised position may be supported by suitable support means. In apparatus where the roll unit is arranged on the power side, the dipping roll may be suspended to advantage in the supporting construction of the drying box.

The invention is further described in the following with reference .to the drawing where:

FIG. I, in diagram form, shows a stretching, drying and fixing apparatus including a roll unit in accordance with the invention, and also including a kissing roll.

FIG. 2 shows, in diagram form, a stretching, drying and fixing apparatus with a roll unit according to the invention, the roll unit including a dipping roll, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a roll unit according to the invention in side view and end view, respectively. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the web to be treated (a felt or wire) is indicated by the reference number 25, the stretch roll of the apparatus is indicated by l, and the power roll by $3. The drying box is indicated by 54. The roll unit in FIG. I includes a kissing roll 55, a press-nip roll 56, a press roll 57 and a singeing apparatus 58.

The roll unit FIG. 2 includes a dipping roll 59, a guide roll 60, a press-nip roll 61 and a press roll 62 together with singeing apparatus 63. When the dipping roll is not in use it may be raised and suspended in the support construction of the drying box 54, as indicated in broken lines, and the web may then be freely stretched between the power roll 53 and the stretch roll I. The dipping roll may also be used as a kissing roll.

The roll units indicated diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2 are arranged on the power side of the apparatus, while FIGS. 3 and 4 show a roll unit particularly intended for use on the stretch roll side.

The roll unit is intended to be mounted in connection with the stretch carriage, the stretch carriage being indicated in FIG. 4 only, however, for the sake of clarity.

In FIG. 3, the stretch roll of the apparatus is indicated by l. The stretch roll is mounted in stretch bearings 2 and 3 (FIG.

4) and the stretch bearings are, in turn, displaceably mounted in the stretch carriage 4 and 5. In this case the stretch carriage, generally so called, consists of two independent units 4 and 5 on tracks 6 and 7. The stretch bearing 2 is movable in the stretch carriage by means of threaded spindles 8 and 9 which are rotatably mounted at both ends in the stretch carriage 4, and, in the shown construction, the stretch bearing 2 is supported directly on the track 6 by means of power rolls 10. The actual stretch carriage 4 is also supported and may be moved on the track 6 by means of support wheels (not shown). The stretch carriage 5, with stretch bearing 3, is constructed in the same manner. Each stretch bearing 2 and 3 is provided with a bracket 11 and 12 respectively which project laterally and, as will be apparent from FIG. 4, the brackets 11 and 12 project laterally in directions towards each other. The brackets 11 and 12 are provided with two vertical apertures I3 and 14 respectively.

In order to facilitate the general view, the stretch roll 1 is not drawn in FIG. 4, and, for the same reason, the stretch carriage 4,5 is not drawn in FIG. 3. Furthermore, the stretch carriage and the stretch roll are of known construction and constitute no part of the present invention.

Between the tracks 6 and, 7, tracks 15 and 16 are provided. A support frame 19 is supported on the tracks 15 and 16 by means of the wheels 17 and 18, and the support frame l9, as will be apparent from FIG. 3, has a C-configuration in the vertical plane and consists substantially of two C-shaped box constructions 20 and 2] which are interconnected by means of transverse beams 22, 23 and 24. The support frame 19 together with rolls mounted in the support frame, further described hereinabove, may be moved as a unit to and from the operating position shown in FIG. 3 in connection with the stretch roll I for the felt or wire 25.

A support arm 27 is pivotally mounted in the frame 21 by means of a shaft journal 32. The said support arm is actuated at one end by a bellows regulator 30. The support arm provides a bearing for the shaft journal ofa roll 28 for application of chemicals; At its other end the said roll for chemical application is mounted in a'corresponding support arm. The trough 29 may be raised and lowered with the shaft journal 32 as the pivotal point. A distributor tube 31 is arranged for uniform distribution ofchemicals to the trough.

The roll for chemical application 28 includes a gear wheel 33 on one shaft journal, and the said gear wheel is in engagement with a gear wheel 34 which is mounted in the support arm of the roll and is driven by means ofa chain drive 35 from a drive motor 36 mounted in the support arm 19. In FIG. 4 the gear wheel 33 and the drive motor 36 are drawn on the lefthand side, while in FIG. 3 the gear wheels 34 and 33 are drawn with solid lines in order to clarify the drawing.

A tensioning roll 37'is releasably mounted, in a manner known per sc, in two adjustable support legs (FIG.,3) for ten- Sioning the wire against the roll 28' for chemical application.

A press-nip roll 39 is mounted in two support arms 40, one support arm for each frame member 20 and 21 respectively, and is actuated by bellows regulators 41 and 42 respectively. In this' manner the press-nip roll 39 may be pivoted to and from the stretch roll 1. A spray tube 43 is arranged above the press-nip 42 for spraying of fluid into the press-nip 42. A press roll 44 is mounted in the upper part of the support frame 19 in substantially the same manner as the press-nip roll 39. The support arms 45 of the press roll are ,pivotally mounted in respective frames 20 and 21 and are actuated by the two be]- lows regulators 46 and 47. In this manner the press roll 44 may be pivoted to and from the stretch roll I and the felt or wire 25.

A control panel 48 is located in the upper area of the sup port frame 19.

The roll unit, i.e. the support frame 19 with appurtenant rolls, may be moved on tracks. 15 and 16 by means of two drive motors 49 and 50 which are in chain operated connection with traversing wheels 17 and 18 respectively.

. In accordance with the invention, therefore, a roll unit is provided in the form of independent, mobile unit. The roll unit contains all the componentsnecessary for chemical treatment of the felt and may be readily removed from the apparatus for cleaning etc., whereupon the apparatus may immediately be used for e.g. heat treatment or stretch treatment of a felt or a wire in a manner known per se. An advantage of the shown embodiment is that the unit may be locked to the the shown bearings 2 and 3, or more particularly, to the brackets 11 and 12 projecting from the said stretch bearings. Interlocking is carried out by means of compressed air cylinders 51 and 52 the piston rods of which may be passed through respective apertures 13 and 14 when the roll unit is moved into place relative to the stretch carriage. As will be apparent from FIG. 3, locking cylinders 52 are arranged on either side of the roll unit, a single locking cylinder may also be used, however, or other interlocking members, e.g. also manually operated tiebelt connections. The roll unit, when interlocked with the stretch bearings, will accompany the movements of the stretch bearings during stretching of the felt or wire and will thus constantly be in correct position relative to the stretch roll 1.

By substituting another trough with a cross-sectional configuration approximately as indicated in FIG. 2 for the trough 29, the roll 28 may be used as a dipping roll. The mounting 38 of the tensioning roll 37 is then effected suitably so that the tensioning roll may be lowered to such a degree that it may be used as a guide roll corresponding to the guide roll 60 in FIG. 2. Constructional solutions may also be envisioned where the roll 28, together with its bearing, is replaced by a dipping roll.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. Apparatus for treating an endless member of felt or wire as it passes about a support roll, comprising a transversely elongated C-shaped support frame, track means. mounting means at the ends of said frame supporting said frame on said track means for movement of the C-shaped frame into and out of encompassing relationship with a said support roll, an applicator roll rotatably mounted transversely on said frame for application of liquid to said endless member when said frame encompasses said support roll, means mounted on said frame for supplying liquid to the applicator roll, means connected to said frame for driving said mounting means along said track means, and means connected to said frame selectively to secure said frame with respect to said support roll.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said liquid supply means comprising a liquid-containing trough transversely mounted on said frame, said applicator roll being immersed in said trough.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a chain drive for said applicator roll, said chain drive comprising a first gear wheel on said applicator roll, a second gear wheel in mesh with said first gear wheel, and a drive chain driving said second gear wheel.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a press roll mounted transversely on said frame for applying pressure to said endless member after said applicator roll has applied liquid to said endless member.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4,-and a chain drive for said applicator roll, said chain drive comprising a first gear wheel on said applicator roll, a second gear wheel in mesh with said first gear wheel, and a drive chain driving said second gear wheel.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and a press-nip roll mounted transversely in said frame "between said applicator roll and said press roll, the axis of the press-nip roll being disposed at about the same height as the axis of said support roll, and spray means mounted on said frame for spraying liquid into the nip between the press-nip roll and said support roll.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, said liquid supply means comprising a liquid-containing trough transversely mounted on said frame, said applicator roll being immersed in said trough.

mounted transversely on said frame for applying pressure to said endless member after said applicator roll has applied liquid to said endless member.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, and a press-nip roll mounted transversely in said frame between said applicator roll and said press roll, the axis of the press-nip roll being disposed at about the same height as the axis of said support roll, and spray means mounted on said frame for spraying liquid into the nip between the press-nip roll and said support roll.

l t i t 

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said liquid supply means comprising a liquid-containing trough transversely mounted on said frame, said applicator roll being immersed in said trough.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a chain drive for said applicator roll, said chain drive comprising a first gear wheel on said applicator roll, a second gear wheel in mesh with said first gear wheel, and a drive chain driving said second gear wheel.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a press roll mounted transversely on said frame for applying pressure to said endless member after said applicator roll has applied liquid to said endless member.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and a chain drive for said applicator roll, said chain drive comprising a first gear wheel on said applicator roll, a second gear wheel in mesh with said first gear wheel, and a drive chain driving said second gear wheel.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and a press-nip roll mounted transversely in said frame between said applicator roll and said press roll, the axis of the press-nip roll being disposed at about the same height as the axis of said support roll, and spray means mounted on said frame for spraying liquid into the nip between the press-nip roll and said support roll.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, said liquid supply means comprising a liquid-containing trough transversely mounted on said frame, said applicator roll being immersed in said trough.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, said said spray means comprising a spray tube mounted on and extending transversely of said frame.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, and a chain drive for said applicator roll, said chain drive comprising a first gear wheel on said applicator roll, a second gear wheel in mesh with said first gear wheel, and a drive chain driving said second gear wheel.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and means releasably mounting the applicator roll on said frame.
 11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, and a press roll mounted transversely on said frame for applying pressure to said endless member after said applicator roll has applied liquid to said endless member.
 12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, and a press-nip roll mounted transversely in said frame between said applicator roll and said press roll, the axis of the press-nip roll being disposed at about the same height as the axis of said support roll, and spray means mounted on said frame for spraying liquid into the nip between the press-nip roll and said support roll. 